Yeah definitely don’t need a cat for extended burns. Controllability is what I’m ultimately after. That was part of my interest in the hybrids. More output for shorter periods like a non cat, but maybe more control? We’ve discussed the T6, but do you feel those other non cat stoves are that controllable? I’ve ruled the Regency out for fitment reasons.
Blaze King Ashford Or Hearthstone Manchester
- Thread starter fagan2425
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
I guess where I’m coming from is that with my current stove:
With a small load I can get a lot of heat for a short period or a little heat for a medium period.
With a large load i get a lot of heat for a short period, followed by medium heat for a short period, and low heat for a short period.
There’s no option for medium heat for a long period, or high heat for a medium period, if that makes sense.
For your placement options, get a large cardboard box, fold it open, and cut it into the shape of the stove.
Tape on the floor works too but cardboard gives you a better impression of the size.imo.
Regarding controllability, I would suggest that few if any stoves are as even and controllable as the BKs due to the thermostat. Even if you don't need the low and slow shoulder season heating, the excellent even temperatures of BKs are unsurpassed, imo.
Example, I've been heating (Chinook) these days for 20 hrs or so per load, and the temperature fluctuates between 70.5 and 71 over that course of time. Of course this also depends on heat loss of the home, and thus outside temps. They went from 50 to 28 F these days.
I've seen owners of other modern brand stoves say they fluctuate between 68 and 72 or so. A four degree swing to me would mean quite different levels of comfort; imagine a 66 f sitting down versus a 70 F vacuuming. (The other way around is better, but there are limitations to how well reloading (and associated temp swings) can be controlled to match other daily activities.)
My $0.02
Tape on the floor works too but cardboard gives you a better impression of the size.imo.
Regarding controllability, I would suggest that few if any stoves are as even and controllable as the BKs due to the thermostat. Even if you don't need the low and slow shoulder season heating, the excellent even temperatures of BKs are unsurpassed, imo.
Example, I've been heating (Chinook) these days for 20 hrs or so per load, and the temperature fluctuates between 70.5 and 71 over that course of time. Of course this also depends on heat loss of the home, and thus outside temps. They went from 50 to 28 F these days.
I've seen owners of other modern brand stoves say they fluctuate between 68 and 72 or so. A four degree swing to me would mean quite different levels of comfort; imagine a 66 f sitting down versus a 70 F vacuuming. (The other way around is better, but there are limitations to how well reloading (and associated temp swings) can be controlled to match other daily activities.)
My $0.02
An Ashford or Chinook 30 will easily provide medium heat for a long period. The T6 does too but more like soapstone, releasing heat over time as the fire burns down. Steady heating with little room temp swing is one of the first differences I noticed in comparison to the F400 it replaced.
Was it Jotul that made the side loading stove? That could give N/S loading to a stove that appears E/W.
That may be. It shows that all is relative - as apparently that improved from a worse (in this aspect) stove you had before. It was you who I referred to who had said that they had a 4 deg temperature swing. And I compared that to the absence of one when using anstove with a thermostat.
That would be a lovely collaboration. The looks of a VC with the smarts of a Woodstock.
Yes, I try to avoid hyperbole. That is before startup and peak heat in the stove room. The rest of the house is more evenly heated but if I err in running the stove, a 4 or more degree swing is possible. Normally while the stove is running the temp range could be 3-4º but the difference from 70 to 74 is not unpleasant, especially when it's cold out. Many run their stove rooms much hotter. If you're vacuuming, take the long sleeve shirt off.
I owned a hearthstone and actually measured the firebox and it was way way smaller than what the specifications listed. Some brands flat out lie about this so be sure to double check. The BK and my Englander are spot on. Woodstock has been shown to be optimistic as well but all of their stoves are pretty small.
Me too. That is why I measure the temperature and have a 60 hr graph of 5 temperatures in my home.
Regardless of the differences in evenness (is that a word?) of temperatures, between BK and PE it appears no mistake can be made regarding quality of the stoves.
Good idea with the cardboard. Interestingly the Chinook would have the same footprint/location as my current stove. It’s not bad at all. It will be even better once we get rid of the hearth pad and either have a tiled surface flush with the flooring or just a thin ember pad. I think I can talk the wife into it. Anything that sticks further into the room is a no go. The further back it is the better. The Manchester would sit back another 5 inches.
That was my understanding with the BK. Do you find it controls that well on high, too? How long do you get heat on high? How long does it take to warm up once started? Since I often don’t burn during sunny days because of solar gain, I fear a soapstone or perhaps even cast iron stove may take so long to heat up once we need to build a fire at say 3pm. Seems we’d have to anticipate and build maybe a couple hours early in those scenarios.
Would definitely suck to get stuck with a BK at 12k btu on low on a sunny day where it gets 80 inside without supplemental heat. Would have to anticipate that as well.
Interesting. May measure a floor model if we go that way. My Summers Heat (Englander) is also spot on.
Is installing a Gm 80 and reducing to 6 inches just above the stove a bad idea? Would there be a way to get the draft right? What other problems could it cause?
Space is important and may trump other considerations.
I get about 8, up to 10 hrs running high. But this is different from other 30-box users. So this will depend on the system (wood species, moisture content, chimney (draft of the system), air tightness of the home, heat reflecting to the stove causing the Tstat to dial down a bit, etc.)
Some folks claim they can burn down a box in 4-6 hrs.
How.long does it take to heat up - I think that after 30 minutes it sheds decent heat. That is also the time when the cat should already be engaged (bypass closed).
I get about 8, up to 10 hrs running high. But this is different from other 30-box users. So this will depend on the system (wood species, moisture content, chimney (draft of the system), air tightness of the home, heat reflecting to the stove causing the Tstat to dial down a bit, etc.)
Some folks claim they can burn down a box in 4-6 hrs.
How.long does it take to heat up - I think that after 30 minutes it sheds decent heat. That is also the time when the cat should already be engaged (bypass closed).
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Turns out this is excellent advice. Claimed box size on the Manchester is 2.45 but it measures only 2. Claimed box on the GM 60 is 2.0 and measures 1.6. Pretty disappointing.
Volume of a box doesn’t take a genius to measure and calculate. Interesting how I measured Lopi and Jotul boxes at the same store and measurements matched what they claimed. Same for my Englander as well as Highbeams Englander and BK.
Unless the “guys” you refer to are the “guys” at Hearthstone. And we won’t get into other things you might be measuring wrong…….
No just below. I wondered that as well but not wouldn’t make sense. None of the other companies I measured included the space above the baffle. The other thing I wondered was about the space that the soapstone liner is occupying. Surely they wouldn’t include that. Who knows.
Don't the EPA reports and tests specify firebox size? GM60 is specified as 2.03 cuft usable volume in the EPA test report.
Last edited:
Similar threads
